In order to prevent infection in the operating room when performing arthroscopic surgical procedures, it is necessary to follow aseptic draping techniques to avoid the possibility of infecting the patient. More recently, and with the advent of HIV and other infectious viruses, it is also highly desirable to be able to protect the operating room personnel as much as possible from infection by contact with body fluids of infected patients. Accordingly, it is highly desirable to be able to avoid contact with and to collect all waste body fluids that result from an invasive procedure during an operation such as an arthroscopy.
It has been common procedure in operating rooms for many years, to cover the patient with sterilized drapes in all areas except where the operation is being performed. Once the drapes have been placed in position, it is important to the maintenance of the aseptic condition of the operating room that the drapery not be moved from the patient or from covered equipment.
In performing many of the arthroscopic operations, it is necessary that the limb of the patient upon which the operation is being performed be moved to be certain that the proper range of motion is maintained in the effected joint. During such movement, it has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to prevent movement of the drapery covering the patient. Thus, great care must be exercised to avoid exposing a portion of the operating room equipment or a portion of the patient and thereby violating the required aseptic procedure.
A conventional method for collecting body fluids of a patient undergoing an arthroscopic procedure has been to attach a collection pouch to a surgical drape by an adhesive material. The surgical drape has an opening that allows the limb to penetrate the drape, and the collection pouch has a window and an opening arranged so that the limb can pass through the pouch with the portion to be operated on located at the center of the pouch.
While this design is a great improvement over techniques and apparatuses that existed prior to it, the design and method of using adhesive to secure the collection pouch to the surgical drape has presented problems. During many arthroscopic procedures the limb of the patent must be moved considerably from side to side, and during this movement the collection pouch has moved the drape severely which can violate aseptic technique.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved arthroscopy drape that includes a collection pouch that is securely adhered to a drape panel, but one that permits substantial relative movement of the collection pouch relative to the drape panel without disturbing the position of the drape relative to the patient.